A guide wire typically includes an elongated wire body, a protective coating layer covering a distal portion of the wire body, and an annular member disposed on a proximal portion of the resin coating layer. As its name suggests, a guide wire is a wire or elongated member that “guides” a catheter or endoscope through a desired vessel of a patient's body. The guide wire itself may be introduced into the vessel through a trocar which is withdrawn. When the guide wire has been advanced to the region of interest in the patient's body, the catheter or endoscope is passed over the guide wire to reach the region of interest.
In advancing the guide wire to the region of interest, the physician often has to rotate and deflect the guide wire. Such rotation and deflection may cause torsional energy to be stored in the body of the guide wire which may dislodge the guide wire if the guide wire is released by the physician. Thus, the physician or an assistant must hold the exposed portion of the guide wire at least while the catheter or endoscope is passed over the guide wire, if not also during a procedure such as renal denervation or coronary or peripheral intervention when a guide wire is used in conjunction with a catheter. To use an assistant simply for holding the guide wire is not desirable for multiple reasons, including but not limited to the following: increase cost of procedure, decrease workspace in operating room, and increase communication dependency between physician and assistant.
Accordingly, there is a desire for a device that can releasably restrain a guide wire under a one-handed operation by a user. There is a further desire to for the device to be relatively small and portable, and to sit stably in position on the patient's body or on the patient table.